Unusually hot September weather is overtaxing cooling systems at several schools, according to a news release from Prince William County Schools, but classes are still being held, and sometimes students and staff are being relocated to more comfortable areas.

Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) urge everyone to be ready in case hurricanes, powerful winds, and thunderstorms cause destruction and power outages. To help Americans prepare, DHS has declared September as National Preparedness Month. Here are some tips.

State Corporation Commission (SCC) in Richmond says it has scheduled an April 30, 2019 hearing to consider Washington Gas' request to increase rates for natural gas customers in Northern Virginia and upper Shenandoah service areas. In the meantime, the SCC news release says that by law, the gas company can increase rates on an interim basis beginning Jan. 2, 2019.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has announced the first case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in a horse this year. The horse, a Quarter Horse mare from Suffolk, entered the North Carolina State Veterinary school hospital in late July and subsequently died. The disease has an 80 to 90 percent mortality rate.

Gainesville Supervisor Peter Candland, Occoquan Supervisor Ruth Anderson, Jack Kooyoomjian of the Lake Ridge Occoquan Communities Ciivic Association (LOCCA) and Elizabeth Ward, of PW Soil & Water Conservation District will lead a community conversation Aug. 20 in Lake Ridge about proposed changes in Prince William County development policies affecting rural areas of the county.

“Last Thursday’s SCC decision to approve the Haymarket transmission project and include it in the underground pilot program, as outlined in the Grid Transformation and Securities Act of 2018, moves us one step closer to meeting the growing energy demands in western Prince William County," said Charles Penn Sr., spokesman for Dominion.

Gov. Ralph Northam announced July 26 that Cascades Inc. (TSX: CAS), a Canadian leader in the recovery and manufacturing of green packaging and paper tissue products, plan to invest $275 million to establish a lightweight recycled containerboard operation in the former Bear Island Paper Mill in Hanover County. The project will create 140 new jobs.

Residents visiting the E.G. Smith Baseball Complex should expect to see a cleaner public park soon due to a significant grant made possible by Dr. Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) in collaboration with national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful.